Spell Types
Regular Most spells fall into this class. A Regular spell affects only one subject. Its energy cost assumes a human-sized subject – that is, one with Size modifier 0. For a subject with a positive SM, multiply cost by 1 + SM: x2 energy for SM +1, x3 for SM +2, x4 for SM +3, and so on. There is no cost reduction for a subject with a negative SM. A few Regular spells have special cost schemes that override these rules. Regular spells work best if you can touch or see the subject. You do not have to see through your own eyes; any spell that lets you see by magical means will do. If you cannot touch the subject, apply a skill penalty equal to your distance in yards from the subject; e.g., -5 at five yards. Figure distance at the moment you roll the dice for the spell. If you cannot touch or see the subject, there is a further -5 penalty. There are two ways to direct such a spell: *Name a target location. For instance, if you specify “One yard beyond the other side of this door,” you’ll get whoever is standing on the other side of the door. If there is nobody there, you wasted the spell. *Name a subject; e.g., “The closest person in the next room,” or, “George, who I know is around here somewhere.” The GM determines the actual range to the subject. This is risky! If the subject is farther away than you think – or simply absent – you are inviting failure or even critical failure! No physical barrier affects a Regular spell. Unless it backfires, the spell never hits the wrong target. Area These spells affect an area instead of an individual. They are cast on a surface – floor, ground, etc. – and their effects extend four yards (12 feet) up from that surface. A few Area spells work differently; see the individual spell descriptions for details. The area’s size governs the energy cost, but not the difficulty of the roll. The cost listed for an Area spell is always its “base cost.” The actual cost to cast the spell is equal to its base cost multiplied by the radius of the area of effect in yards (minimum one yard): base cost x1 for a one-yard radius, x2 for a two-yard radius, x3 for a three yard radius, and so on. Area spells with a fractional base cost, such as 1/2 or 1/10, cost a minimum of one energy point. A few Area spells specify a minimum cost, which you must always pay, even if it is larger than the base cost multiplied by the desired radius. If an Area spell affects living beings, it affects everyone in the area of effect. You may choose to affect only a part of the area, instead of the whole circle, but the cost is still the same – i.e., you may create an area of effect with “holes” in it, but must still spend energy as if you had filled the entire radius of the spell. If you cannot touch any part of the affected area, apply a skill penalty equal to your distance in yards from the nearest edge of the area. Otherwise, Area spells work like Regular spells. Melee Melee spells “charge” your hand or magic staff with harmful energies that affect the first target you strike. These spells require two skill rolls: a roll against spell skill to cast the spell, and a normal melee attack roll to hit the target with your hand or staff. To cast a Melee spell, concentrate for the required time, roll against spell skill at the end of the final turn of concentration, and pay the energy cost. No distance modifier applies because you are casting the spell on yourself! On a success, you energize your hand or staff with the spell’s magic. On your next turn, you must either hold your spell or attack with it. If you hold your spell, your hand or staff remains “charged.” This costs no energy and requires no skill roll. You cannot cast another spell while holding a Melee spell. You can take any other combat maneuver (but an attack with the energized hand or staff discharges the spell). A parry with the hand or staff does not discharge the spell; only an attack in combat is a part of the ritual. A Melee spell held on a staff persists for as long as you wield the staff. If you lose hold of your staff, even for an instant, the spell drains away harmlessly. If someone grabs your staff, and you are both holding it on your turn, your attempt to wrench it free counts as an attack, and your opponent instantly suffers the spell’s effects! To attack, roll against DX or an unarmed combat skill to hit with a hand, or the appropriate Melee Weapon skill to hit with a staff. This is a standard melee attack. Your target may attempt any active defense. If he succeeds, your spell is not triggered; you may try again next turn. If he fails, your melee attack does its usual damage and your spell affects him immediately. Armor protects normally against some Melee spells, not at all against others. If the spell is one that ignores armor, neither an unarmed parry (even with an armored limb) nor a block can protect the target from the spell. Even if such a defense wards off the melee attack, the spell arcs through the target’s armor or shield and affects him. Missile This class of spells encompasses long-distance “projectile” or “bolt” attacks, such as Fireball and Lightning. Missile spells require two skill rolls: a roll against spell skill to cast the spell, and a roll against Innate Attack skill (p. B201) to hit the target. To cast a Missile spell, you must concentrate for one second. At the end of your turn, roll against your skill with the spell. There is no modifier for distance – you are creating a magical missile in your hand. On a success, you may invest one or more points of energy in the spell, dependant on your Magery level, see Magic: Mechanics. The missile then appears in your hand, “charged” to the desired level. On your next turn, you have three options with your missile: make a ranged attack with it, hold it, or enlarge it. If you opt to enlarge your missile, you must concentrate for another second. At the end of your turn, you may invest more energy in the spell – see: Magic: Mechanics. This does not require a skill roll. The turn after that, you have the same options: attack, hold, or enlarge. On your fourth turn, you may only attack or hold. You cannot spend more than three seconds building up a Missile spell. Once you stop enlarging a Missile spell, you may “hold” it in hand, ready to attack. You do not have to launch the missile until you want to. While holding a Missile spell, you may move up to your full Move, take a Wait or Aim maneuver, or even attack using the hand that isn’t “holding” the missile. You may defend normally. However, you cannot cast another spell. There is one drawback: if you are injured while you have a missile “in hand,” you must make a Will roll. If you fail, the missile immediately affects you! When you are ready to attack, roll against your Innate Attack skill to hit. This is a standard ranged attack, subject to the usual modifiers for target size, speed, and range. Once launched, the missile flies in a straight line to the target. Physical barriers affect it just as they would affect any missile weapon. Your target may block or dodge, but cannot parry (Parry Missile Weapons skill may work on some Missile spells, at the GM’s discretion). If he fails, the spell affects him. The strength of the effect depends on the energy invested. Most Missile spells inflict 1d of damage per point of energy. Damage Resistance – natural or from armor – protects normally against damaging Missile spells. Beam This class of spell encompasses "jet" and "breath" attacks, such as Sand Jet and Breathe Fire. These spells are charged in the same manner as missile spells with two exceptions: a person can move while charging a missile spell and may only charge the spell for up to three seconds while a person must remain immobile while charging a beam spell but has no upper limit on the time that they can spend charging that spell. Beam spells naturally expand to a 1 yard width per point of energy devoted to the spell and extend with no maximum range. Roll to hit vs your Innate Attack as normal. These attacks can be blocked and, if the target has the means, dodge as normal, but can never be parried. Damage dealt is cut by 1/3 every yard it expands out. A beam travels at a rate of 2 yards per second per point of energy devoted to the spell. Wizards can use a beam spell to parry an incoming spell. Spells directly combating each other in this way compare the energy spent on each other. The spell using the greater amount of energy overpowers the opposing spell and continues to the target. Information Information spells are cast to gain knowledge. Some require you to touch the subject, while others function at a distance; see Long-Distance Modifiers for range penalties. Spells intended to find things are at -1 per “known” item you choose to ignore in your search; it takes some concentration to bypass your canteen when casting Seek Water in the desert. Most Information spells have additional special modifiers, so read the spell description carefully. When you cast an Information spell, the GM rolls for you in secret. If the spell succeeds, the GM gives you the desired information – the better the roll, the better the information. If the spell fails, the GM will say, “You sense nothing.”On a critical failure, the GM lies to you! Regardless of the outcome, you must always pay the full energy cost for the spell – you have no way to know if it succeeded or not. Information spells generally allow only one attempt per day by each caster (or ceremonial group). “Seek” spells are an exception to this. Except where specifically noted, Information spells have no duration. They grant a momentary glimpse of insight and end immediately; therefore, you cannot maintain them. Category:Magic